Olympic Gold Medalists Come to Sonoma for Race Weekend

SONOMA, Calif. (Aug. 21, 2012) — Two Olympic gold medalists will be on hand this weekend at the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.

Tyler Clary, who captured gold in the 200-meter backstroke at the 2012 London Games, will attend the race on Sunday, as will Erin Cafaro, who won her second consecutive gold medal as part of the USRowing Women’s 8+ boat team. Clary is a guest of INDYCAR, while Cafaro is a guest of the TrueCar Racing Women Powered Initiative.

The two gold medalists will join Grand Marshal Kevin Johnson, the mayor of Sacramento and former basketball star, in giving the official command of, “Drivers Start Your Engines.”

Clary, who hopes to become a racecar driver once his swimming career is over, is especially excited about coming to Sonoma.

“My passions are swimming and cars. It’s in my blood – I love to swim fast and race cars fast,” said Clary, 23. “I’ve realized that racing is something I really could be good at, and like I said, I want to take a serious shot at it after swimming.”

Clary and Cafaro will get an all-access look at the world of INDYCAR racing on Sunday. They will both have an unfettered experience around the INDYCAR paddock and receive driving tips from some of the fastest, most versatile racing drivers in the world.

Cafaro, a Cal graduate, entered the record book in London, along with her teammates, as the first female team in the history of USRowing to score back-to-back Olympic gold medals. They are also seven-time world champions and undefeated since 2006. Cafaro is a native of Modesto and currently lives in Marin.

Race tickets are still available for the GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma race weekend, Aug. 24-26. Call 800-870-7223 (RACE) or visit racesonoma.com/indycar for details. The race weekend will also feature the Cadillac Sonoma Grand Prix on Saturday for the SCCA World Challenge.

###

GoPro Indy® Grand Prix of Sonoma WeekendWHAT: Big O Tires Racing Season Presents: GoPro Indy Grand Prix of SonomaWHEN: Aug. 24-26CIRCUIT: 2.31-mile, 12-turn road course2011 WINNER: Will Power (Team Penske)NOTABLE: The weekend will include Brasil IT+ Pole Day on Saturday, Aug. 25, as well as the Cadillac Sonoma World Challengeand Formula Car Challenge.TICKETS: $10-$65 single day/$65-$85 weekend; parking is FREE and kids 12 and under are FREE (Friday and Saturday). Garage passes are available for purchase.INFORMATION: 800-870-RACE (7223), racesonoma.com/indy, ticketmaster.com

Featured Event

The Toyota/Save Mart 350 roars into Sonoma June 22-24, and it’s guaranteed to be a wild ride. It’s the biggest rush to hit wine country, and you won’t want to miss a second of the action on and off track.